Best Most Comfortable Ergonomic Office Chairs Under $200 Review 2023

Our Pick: Hbada Mesh Reclining Office Chair

Hbada is a well-known and well-respected brand in Europe and other parts of the world, but they’ve got a limited footprint here. They make a variety of minimalist, mesh office chairs that have traces of European styling and are known for their high-quality, environmentally friendly products.

This model is notable because it’s one of the few reclining mesh office chairs we’ve ever seen.

Even if it wasn’t a fully functional recliner, complete with a hideaway ottoman that tucks under the seat when not in use, it’s a great office chair featuring adjustable lumbar support, an articulated headrest, adjustable arms, a well-padded waterfall-style seat, and height-adjustable ergonomic armrests. 

Basically, this model has everything you could ever want in an ergonomic office chair, plus it pulls double duty as a recliner, capable of reclining back to a maximum of 155 degrees.

On top of that, it’s capable of supporting up to four hundred pounds of user weight. That, coupled with its decent seat height adjustment range makes it a great general-purpose office chair with a nice trick up its sleeve.

Granted, this isn’t a chair you’d want to spend an entire night in, but if you’ve been working hard for several hours straight and need to take a short power nap, this model has you covered.

As good as it is, there are two things we were slightly disappointed with.

First, the headrest. We love that it’s articulated, but it’s a bit flimsy, and a significant minority of users have reported problems with it, including the fact that in some cases, the headrest breaks or falls off. Given the quality of the chair as a whole, that’s unfortunate.

Second, the padding of the ottoman isn’t as thick as the padding of the seat. True, you’re not putting as much weight on it with your feet as you are on the seat of the chair when you’re sitting in it, but it does leave the Ottoman padding feeling a bit inadequate.

We readily admit that neither of these is a deal breaker, but they are items that lowered the chair’s final score slightly. Even given those two weaknesses, however, we stand by this model as our pick for the best ergonomic office chair under $200 in the mesh category.

Even if you’re not specifically looking for a mesh recliner, this one’s well worth picking up, given its surprisingly modest price.  Highly recommended.

Runner-Up: Hbada Ergonomic Desk Chair

A little cheaper and a little more conventional, this model, also by Hbada, is a close cousin of the mesh recliner we talked about above. Its stats are highly similar but note that It’s not quite as robust in terms of the amount of user weight it can support, and its maximum angle of recline is slightly reduced.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially given the fact that this model doesn’t have a built-in ottoman. Still, you can use it as a makeshift recliner if you’re willing to use a bit of applied creativity and engineer your own Ottoman once you get the chair put together.

Like its more expensive cousin, it’s got a good seat height range that makes it appealing to a broad swath of the market and offers the same level of adjustability (adjustable arms, headrest, and lumbar support).

One thing that Hbada does well is that they seem to have found the sweet spot, providing just enough in the way of seat padding paired with the mesh seatback to make their products ideal for heavy daily usage. 

As you’ll see, one thing that some of the lesser models struggle with is that they skimp a bit on the seat padding, which makes those models less comfortable the longer you sit in them. 

Neither of the Hbada models on our list of finalists suffers from that problem, and no matter how many hours you’re toiling away at your desk (or gaming), the padding is up to the task of keeping you comfortable. Like the Hbada recliner, we recommend this model without reservation.

Value Pick: CMO’s Mesh Office Chair With Headrest

The first of two chairs by CMO to grace our list. CMO is a hidden gem of a brand. While not well-known, they do make products that are consistently above average and attractively priced, which can sometimes be a difficult proposition. 

Consider this model to be the deluxe edition of the chair we’ll talk about next. Among other things, it offers:

There are several things to talk about in more detail here. Far and away the best feature of the chair is the adjustable lumbar support, which enables you to put the support exactly where you want it.

In our view, the second-best ergonomic feature is the waterfall-style seat, which, when combined with the height-adjustment range makes it a comfortable seating experience for a wide range of users. Throw in the fact that this chair can support up to 350 pounds of user weight and you’ve got a surprisingly robust chair.

The armrests are a bit of a disappointment, however. Rather than being ergonomically sculpted, they’re simple T-shaped struts. Padded, yes, but we’d have much preferred to see an additional ergonomic design element here.

The other minor disappointment is the headrest. First, kudos to CMO for including it and for making it height-adjustable, but we’ve seen less expensive chairs offer articulated headrests, so we know it’s possible. That and the armrests are the model’s two primary weaknesses in our view.

Ultimately though, it depends on how you plan to use it. Neither of the model’s weaknesses are deal breakers, and it’s a good value for the money. We recommend it.

Also Great: CMO’s Mesh High Backed Office Chair

Another model offered by CMO, this one is scaled down to keep the price low and is an excellent budget option that has all the basics covered and even manages to offer a few surprises.

While it’s not much to look at and lacks a proper headrest, it does offer a surprising amount of adjustability, allowing you to tweak the seat height, the armrest height and the position of the lumbar support so you can customize the chair to make it fit you like a glove.

Those capabilities help to enhance the comfort of what would otherwise be only a moderately comfortable chair. The seatback, being mesh, is breathable, but doesn’t offer anything in the way of padding, and the waterfall-style seat, although well-designed, is only modestly padded. 

It’s a good chair for light to moderate use but lacking better padding in the seat and a headrest, this one would be ill-suited for heavy daily use. Still, depending on your needs and budget, this is an excellent option to consider.

Honorable Mention: Zenith High Back Mesh Office Chair

This is the only gaming-style chair to make an appearance on our list, and in our view, it’s the best computer chair under 200 dollars, mostly because it is delightfully functional and inexpensive, which means you’ll have more money left over to buy computer games and other peripherals. That’s always a good thing.

The Zenith is an interesting design. While it doesn’t have a racing-style seat, it’s clear that the seat design was inspired by gaming chairs, which gives it a handsome, unexpected appearance.

Aside from its striking good looks, its best feature is the dedicated lumbar support pillow, which provides exceptional lumbar support. The padded ergonomic armrests and headrest both offer better-than-average ergonomic support, and the fact that the seatback is mesh means that you’ll be able to spend hours in front of your computer without working up a significant sweat.

Note that while the seat is adequately padded, if you are planning to spend several hours a day at the computer, you may want to invest in a comfortable pillow to augment the padding the chair comes with.

None of the ergonomic features on this model are adjustable, and the chair doesn’t recline, but it does rock slightly, and the arms flip up for easier storage when the chair’s not in use. 

If you’re looking for something a little different, this is a great choice. It’s got a height-adjustment range that will accommodate a wide range of user heights (17.7” to 21.7”), but it only supports a modest amount of weight, at 250 pounds. Even given that limitation, it’s still well worth considering.

Other Notable Contenders (Mesh)

Frasch High Back Ergonomic Mesh Office Chair

Although this model is highly rated, it is slightly more than $200, which is why it didn’t win top honors. It’s only twenty dollars over the line though, and can frequently be found on sale, so we felt as though we would have been remiss if we didn’t give it a mention because it is an exceptional chair.

It’s a hybrid chair – a mix of mesh and high density, breathable fabric. The seatback is mesh, which is where that material will do the most good in terms of breathability, and the durable fabric is stretched over a generous memory foam pad, making it delightfully comfortable.

Most mesh chairs win low marks for aesthetics, and it’s not hard to see why, but Frasch has managed to create a design that’s pretty good looking by mesh chair standards.

On top of that, it’s got a raft of well-implemented ergonomic features you’ll love, including excellent lumbar support, a sculpted seat, ergonomically designed flip-up armrests, and adequate upper back support, although the chair lacks a proper headrest, unfortunately.

The lumbar support is height adjustable, giving you a means of tweaking the chair to provide maximum comfort and support, and some model variants of the chair come with a foot ring. Depending on how you plan to sit in the chair, that could wind up being your favorite feature.

Finally, the Frasch is offered in either light gray or dark gray and comes with an impressive three-year warranty. Given all that, even though this model is a few dollars above our maximum, we highly recommend it and wanted to include it as an example of what even a modest increase in budget can mean in terms of the quality of the chair you get. Highly recommended.

Songmics UOBN86B High Backed Mesh Office Chair

Songmics is a tiny, little-known brand, but they make surprisingly robust office furniture, and the UOBN86B is a great example of their work. It’s a mixed design, with a breathable mesh back and a fabric padded seat and headrest.

While the padding can’t be described as plush, it’s certainly adequate for light to moderate daily use, and the 86B’s ergonomic features are well-implemented, much to the little brand’s credit.

The standout feature with this model is the S-shaped seatback which follows the natural curvature of your body’s spine, paired with a better than average ergonomic support belt that’s attached to the back of the seatback.

It’s got a padded headrest that is sadly not height adjustable, but the arms are flip-up and removable. Unlike many office chairs where the armrests are an integral part of the design, they’re totally optional here. If you don’t want armrests on your chair, just don’t install them.

Another surprise here is that the base isn’t nylon, which is commonly used in inexpensive models, but rather, lightweight steel. That, paired with its impressive 330-pound weight limit makes it a great choice for moderate to heavy daily use, although if you’re planning on using this chair heavily on a daily basis, you’ll probably want to buy a comfortable pillow to augment the modest padding in the seat.

The seat height is adjustable within a range of 17.7” to 21.5”, which makes it a great choice for a wide variety of potential users, and its modest price will leave you plenty of money left over to buy something else. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to our top picks that can still hold its own against those models, this is a good option to consider.

Topsky Mesh Ergonomic Office Chair

Although this is by no means the best cheap ergonomic chair on the market today, we have to admit that it’s our emotive favorite because we have a soft spot for the Topsky brand.

Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of it. We’d be surprised if you had. They’re tiny and easy to miss, but we have high hopes for the brand in the long term and expect to see great things from them in the future.

The reason?

Their designs are surprisingly innovative, and some of them even border on being bold, which is a genuine surprise. Most companies selling in the value segment of the market stick to the basics and tend to offer low-cost, cookie-cutter products.

Topsky is a refreshing departure from that. This model offers features you sometimes don’t find on chairs costing three or four times as much, which is fantastic. Of course, it’s offset by the fact that to keep costs low, the company uses low-end materials in construction, so this chair isn’t as robust or as durable as many of the other models we’ve talked about thus far.

Even so, it’s a great chair and well worth taking a second look at. In no particular order, here are the main things you’ll like about it:

On top of that, it can recline to a maximum of 145 degrees, has an aluminum base, and is well-suited to the rigors of heavy daily use. It even comes with a built-in coat hanger, so you’ve got a handy place to hang your coat while you’re working.

Honestly, if not for the fact that Topsky is a very young brand without much heft or brand reliability at this point, this one would have ranked higher than it did, and may well have found a place on our list of finalists. We highly recommend it.

Vanbow High Back Ergonomic Office Chair

This is a good, cheap ergonomic office chair. In fact, it’s one of the least expensive chairs featured in this roundup review.

Vanbow is a small, little-known brand, but they’ve carved out a niche for themselves by making cheap office furniture of surprising quality. While it won’t win any marks for beauty, it’s got a superbly implemented set of basic ergonomic features including exceptional lumbar support, a height-adjustable headrest, and a sculpted seat.

Of these, far and away the best feature is the lumbar support, which is implemented in a deceptively simple, devastatingly effective way. 

It’s handled via a “support band” placed behind the seat back that can be tension-adjusted to provide you with exactly the level of lumbar support you desire. Honestly, we feel that this should be a standard feature on every ergonomic chair.

The seat is covered in breathable fabric, and while it’s not the most lavishly padded, it’s comfortable enough that you won’t mind sitting in it for a few, or even several hours a day (light to moderate daily use).

The seat is height adjustable within a range of 18.1” to 21.2”, and the armrests are height adjustable as well, making this model a good choice for a wide range of body shapes and sizes. Unfortunately, its maximum supported user weight comes up a bit short, at a relatively modest 250 pounds.

Long story short, it’s a good, cheap ergonomic desk chair but it falls short of true greatness. Even so, given the strength of its lumbar support and its incredibly modest price tag, it’s well worth considering.

Lorell Ergomesh

Lorell is a relatively unknown brand outside the world of office furniture, and even within that ecosystem, it’s not one of the better-known brands. They nonetheless make good quality products and offer a whole range of office products under their umbrella. The Lorell Ergomesh is an excellent example of the kinds of chairs they produce.

It’s a good design, and you won’t be disappointed. With a breathable mesh seatback and a well-padded waterfall-style seat, it’s more comfortable than you might think, given that mesh chairs seldom win high marks for comfort.

Its lumbar support is exceptional, as is the seat support, but it does come up slightly short where the ergonomic armrests are concerned, which are unpadded and a bit on the short side. Head, neck and shoulder support are adequate but not world-class.

With a weight limit of 250 pounds and a seat height adjustment range of 17” to 21” it is well-suited to accommodating a range of body types, shapes, and styles, and although the base is nylon, it’s sufficiently reinforced to withstand the rigors of moderate and even occasional bouts of heavy use.

Best of all, it’s offered in three different color combinations: Black mesh with a black seat, grey mesh with a grey seat, or grey mesh with a blue seat, which allows it to blend in with a surprising variety of home or office décor schemes.

While not top-tier, it’s a good alternative, especially for aesthetically-minded folk looking for something a little different.

Some Assembly Required

It probably goes without saying, but at the price point that this piece is focused on, there’s no such thing as White Glove service, and all of these chairs will arrive at your doorstep in a box and unassembled.

The assembly time varies from one model to the next, but in general, expect to spend 30-45 minutes putting your new chair together if you’re doing it by yourself. At some point during the assembly process, you’re all but guaranteed to reach a point where you wish you had an extra pair of hands, and if you enlist an assistant to help out, you can expect to shave at least ten minutes off of the process.

Best Office Chairs Under 200 Dollars in 2023

So where does that leave us and what is the best desk chair under 200 dollars in 2023? 

Obviously, that answer is going to differ from one person to the next because it depends on exactly what you’re looking for in your next office chair.

The bottom line is that any of the models we’ve talked about here will serve you well (provided your measurements and the chair’s are in alignment), but we stand by our top picks in each category, regarding the Serta Hannah II as the best fabric offering, the Amazon Basics Big & Tall as the best leather option and best overall, and the Hbada Mesh Recliner as being the best mesh office chair under 200.

At the end of the day then, the real question is, what’s the best inexpensive office chair for you? We hope our roundup review has helped narrow your search!

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References & Resources:

• Serta Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• OFM Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Lorell Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Topsky Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Staples Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Zenith Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Frasch Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Songmics Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• AmazonBasics Office Chair, Official Brand Website.
• Flash Furniture Office Chair, Official Brand Website.